Rebecca Tiffin was forced to resign following pressure to pass a 'bleep test', a tribunal heard

The detective - known to colleagues as "Blue Moon" owing to her frequent absences from work - told the panel she was put under huge pressure to pass the timed fitness test which she repeatedly avoided or failed.

She told the tribunal she had an underactive thyroid gland which caused her to pile on the pounds and was also suffering from stress, anxiety and depression.

The panel was told that under-fire Surrey Police, which yesterday was castigated by the IPCC police watchdog for handing guns back to a farmer who went on to shoot dead two people, had employed Mrs Tiffin since 2000.

She became a police constable in 2001 but claimed she was being discriminated against because she was unable to pass the bleep test.

REALITY STAR 'RAPED'

Granny from Hell

However she told the tribunal in Reading, Berks, she found it increasingly hard to work after developing various medical problems which included anxiety, post-natal depression and the underactive thyroid.

Mrs Tiffin, of Tolworth, Surrey, told the hearing: "I have had a longstanding history of depression, stress and anxiety conditions dating back to 2007 and more recently in 2013."

In 2012, Detective Inspector Rebecca Molyneux joined the unit where Mrs Tiffin worked and became her line manager.

Around the same time, Det Insp Molyneux required all officers to do conflict training, part of which was a bleep test – a timed fitness test all police officers have to pass.

Mrs Tiffin was due to do the test on June 29 but requested to change the date because of child care issues.

I had been trying to improve my fitness following a running plan but I struggled with the speed side of things

Detective constable Rebecca Tiffin

However in an email Ms Molyneaux said that "was not good enough" and she had to come up with a solution.

After completing part of the conflict training on June 29, Mrs Tiffin did not do the bleep test, saying she had a sinus infection, the panel was told.

In July, Det Insp Molyneaux reportedly informed Mrs Tiffin that missing the bleep test in June counted as a failure, and under force policy she had four months to pass it.

"I failed the bleep test again on October 29," said Mrs Tiffin.

"I had been trying to improve my fitness following a running plan but I struggled with the speed side of things," she told the panel.

What is a bleep test?

The "bleeps" are pre-recorded and the participant must run the 20 metres before the bleep is sounded.

As the test progresses the gap between the bleeps gets increasingly smaller.

A bleep test is described as a "maximal" test designed to take the runner to the absolute limit of their fitness.

They are frequently used in all walks of life from professional sports to school PE sessions to asses fitness levels

The panel heard Surrey Police believed they had tried to accommodate Mrs Tiffin in being able to train for the test by giving her time to attend Surrey police headquarters in Guildford so she could practice.

From 2012 Mrs Tiffin said there were a series of events which made her feel as if she was being "overly-scrutinised" and treated differently.

She said she felt singled out for not completing paperwork which she claimed other officers had also not done.

In January 2013 Mrs Tiffin said she had a meeting with Det Insp Molyneaux and a detective sergeant in which she was told she "was not seen as a team player or pulling her weight."

She said she was "crushed" by these comments and was left in the office in tears.

Det Insp Molyneaux said she had an informal chat with Mrs Tiffin about how others perceived her performance.

"At the time of the conversation with Rebecca I was not aware that she was upset by what I had said to her. I made it clear to her that if what I said had upset her, that was not its purpose and apologised for this."

Surrey Police also claimed that Mrs Tiffin had not initially made it clear to them that her inability to pass the bleep test was due to her disabilities or depression.

Mrs Tiffin said that it was in part the constant pressure and stress of having to pass the bleep test that led her to resign from the force.

The tribunal which was expected to last nine days, continues.

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